Automatic balanced slide for mine cars



1947. c. s. STONE 2,415,263

AUTOMATIC BALANCED SLIDE FOR MINE CARS Filed June 29, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheei; 1

I -:IIvUQ-wUIQ L l4 A @125. 2 V 60/% jaw/e 564 M Jh ZZZ/V Mam Feb. 4, 1947. c. s. STONE AUTOMATIC BALANCED SLIDE FOR MINE CARS Filed June 29, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 4, 1947 OFFICE AUTOMATIC BALANCED SLIDE FOR MINE CARS- Carl S. Stone, Anstead, W. Va.

Application June 29, 1944, Serial No. 542,699

Claims.

This invention relates to an automatic. balanced slide for mine cars and has for an object to provide an improved brake check or slide especially adapted for use on mine cars but equally useful on other types of cars which either have no brakes provided, or in which it may be desirable to provide an additional brake means. .A further object of this invention is to provide an automatic balanced slide for cars which eliminates the customary dangerous practice of manually placing a slide or chock on the car track in order to brake or stop the car, and which instead has the chock or slide carried by the car in such position that operation of an easily accessible handle will automatically place the slide in proper horizontal position on the track so that the car wheel can run thereon to slide along and brake the car, and then when the car is reversed to remove it from the slide, the slide is automatically restored to non-braking position, ready at any time for a further braking operation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a car slide with a counterbalance so that the slide will remain in balanced horizontal position in either braking or non-braking position.

A further object of this invention is to provide a braking slide for cars of the mine car type, which slide may be easily attached to existing cars to thereby eliminate the necessity of the usual dangerous hand chock or slide.

With the foregoing, and other objects in view, as will hereinafter become apparent, this invention comprises the combinations, constructions, and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth, disclosed, claimed, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a mine car to which the automatic balanced slide of this invention has been applied;

Fig. 2 is a similar view in slide position;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is an end view of Fig. 2.

There is shown at I0 a conventional mine car having the wheels II on the axle I2 and adapted to travel on the track |3 on the ties I4. Mine cars of this nature usually do not have any brake means, and it is customary to provide a chock or slide to place between the wheel II and. the track |3 for slowing down the car and keep it under control as it goes down a steep incline, or for braking it to a stop. Examples of such uses are shown in U. S, Patents 1,460,885 and 2,199,166.

The feature of this invention is that instead of handling the chock or slidemanually, with its V attendant danger of accident if the miner should stumble or slip while putting the chock or slide in position, the chock or slide I5 is so mounted or operatively attached to the car l0 that it may be put into the brake or slide position shown in Fig. 2 ,by operating an easily accessible handle Hi from the side of the car l0 without danger of falling under the moving mine car ID.

The slide I5 is provided with a counterbalance ll, a pair of ears l8 extending therebetween pro-, viding a bearing for a pivot 20 through. the end of a steel arm or link 2|. The upper end22 of the link 2| has a slot 23 for cooperation with a pivot pin 24 mounted in a bracket 25 secured to the bottom of the mine car Ill. Extending from an eyelet 2'6 in the link 2| isa cable 21 which passes over a journal bolt 28 in the bracket 25 and is secured to the end 30 of a tension spring 3| whose other end 32 is attached to a hook 33 depending from a plate 34 by means of which the bracket 25 is mounted on the bottom of the mine car Ill.

The handle I6 is an extending lever on thecrank arm 35 secured to the bottom of the minecar It] in appropriate position by the journal brackets 36 so that the crank 31 may bear down against the top of the link 2| when in the upper or non-slide position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and which, when rotated through a right angle, will move the link 2| to the position shown at 2| in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

In operation, the slide I5 is normally in the full line upper position shown in Fig. 1 when the mine car I0 is intended to move freely on the track I3. When the miner desires to slow or stop the mine car |0, travelling in the direction of the arrow 38, he merely grasps the handle H5 and rotates it downwardly through a right angle. The crank3'l bears down against the link 2| moving it to the position 2|, extending the cable 21 and stretching the spring 3| somewhat as the link eyelet 26 is moved to the position 26' and the slide is moved to the dotted line track position, the counterbalance l'l moving to the dotted line position and balancing the slide l5 to place it horizontally on the track l3, with the end of the slide l5 pushing against the periphery of the wheel The wheel then rides up on the slide I5 until it hits the ears l8 while the steel link 2| meanwhile automatically extends along its slot 23 on the journal pin 24 from the position at 2| in Fig. 1 to the full line position in Fig. 2 to act as a guide to keep the slide l5 from slipping from either side of the rail I3, whereupon the rotation of the wheel H is stopped and the slide l provides the sliding and braking action along the track. After the car has stopped, the slide l5 may be released from the braking position by .merely moving the car In in the direction opposite to the arrow 38 until the wheel II is off the slide l5 and back on the track [3. The tension of spring 3!, operating on cable 21 against eyelet 26 of link 2i will draw the link 21 and attached slide I5 upwardly to the full line position of Fig. 1, the slot 23 moving to its other end as it does so.

The counterbalance H maintains the slide in either direction, enabling the momentum imparted to the slide by the link and the crank to automatically place it in proper position for the wheel to mount thereon to braking or slide position, and enabling the spring to automatically restore it to the non-braking position when the wheel is removed from the slide by reversing the can Obviously, if desired to provide a braking action in the opposite direction, the automatic balanced slide may be duplicated in reverse on the opposite side of the wheel -I l, and a slide l5 maybe provided for each car wheel I I, if desired, to increase the braking effect.

While the device has been shown and the structure described in detail, it is obvious that this invention is not 'to be considered limited to the exact form disclosed, and changes may be made therein, within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of th invention.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

'1. An automatic balanced slide for insertion intermediate a car wheel and track, means for operatively securing said slide to the car underside on the forward side of the car wheel, said securin means including a bracket adapted to be attached to the underside 'of the car, a link pivoted to said slide, pin and slot means pivoting said-link to said bracket, a counterbalance extending from said slide on the opposite side of its pivotal connection'to said link, normally tending to maintain said slide in substantially horizontal position throughout its movement, yieldable means normally tending to withdraw said slide from the track position to a position adjacent the underside of the car, means for pivoting said link to move s'aidslide from the underside car position to the track position whereby the car wheel may mount on said slide to sliding position, and means abutting the car Wheel to limit the movement of the car wheel over said slide.

2. An automatic balanced slide for insertion intermediate a car wheel and track, means for operatively securing said slide to the car undersideon the forward side of the .car wheel, said securing means including a bracket adapted to be attached to the underside .of the car, a link pivoted to saidslide, pin andislot means pivoting said link to said bracket, a counterbalance extending from said slide'on the opposite *side of its'pivotal connection to said link, normally tending to maintain said slide in substantially hori- -zonta1 position throughout its movement, yieldable means normally tending to withdraw aid slide from the track position to a position adjacent the underside of the car, and means for pivoting said link to move said slide-from "the underside car position to the track position whereby the car wheel may-mount on said slide to sliding position, means abutting the car wheel to limit the movement of the carv wheel over said slide, said slide moving means comprising a. crank journaled to the underside of the car, the path of rotation of said crank extending along the path of rotation of said link, and a crank handle adjacent the edge of the car underside for easy manual accessibility, whereby, when said crank handle is rotated against the link said slide is moved from the car underside position to the track position for mounting by the car wheel,

, and when the car is reversed to remove the wheel from said slide, said slide is automatically retracted to the car underside position by said tensioned yieldable means.

3. An automatic balanced slide for insertion intermediate a car wheel and track, means for operatively securing said slide to the car underside on the forward side of the car wheel, said securing means including a bracket adapted to be attached to the underside of the car, a link pivoted to said slide, pin and slotmeans .pivoting said link to said bracket, a counterbalance extending from said slide on the opposite side of its pivotal connection to said link, normally tending to maintain said slide in substantially horizontal position throughout its movement, yieldable means normally tending to Withdraw said slide from the track position to a position adjacent the underside of the car, said yieldable means including a tension spring anchored to an extension of said bracket and a cable sheaved through said bracket and secured to said link, and means for pivoting said link to move said slide from the underside car position to the track position whereby the :car wheel may mount on said slide to sliding position, and means abutting the car wheel to limit the movement of the car wheel over said slide.

4. automatic balanced slide for insertion intermediate a car wheel and track, means for operatively securing said slide to the car under,- side on the forward side of the car wheel, said securing means including a bracket adapted :to be attached to the underside of the car, a link pivoted to said slide, pin and slot means pivoting said link to said bracket, a counterbalance extending from said slide on the opposite side of its pivotal connection to'said link normally tending to maintain said slide in substantially hori zontal position throughout its movement, yieldable means normally tending to withdraw said,

slide from the track position to a .position adjacentthe underside of the car, said yieldable means including a tension spring anchored to an extension of said bracket and a cable sheaved through said bracket and secured to said link, and means for pivoting said link to move said slide fromthe underside car position to the track position whereby the car wheel may mount on said slide to sliding po'sition, and means abutting the car wheel to limit the movement or 'the'ca'r-w'heel over said slide, said slide moving means comprising a crank journaled to the underside of the 5. An automatic balanced slide for insertion intermediate a car wheel and track, means for operatively securing said slide to the car underside on the forward side of the car wheel, said securing means including a bracket adapted to be attached to the underside of the car, upstanding ears on said slide, a link pivoted to said slide ears, pin and slot means pivoting said link to said bracket, 9, counterbalance extending from said slide on the opposite side of its pivotal connection to said link, normally tending to maintain said slide in substantially horizontal position throughout its movement, yieldable means normally tending to withdraw said slide from the track position to a position adjacent the underside of the car, said yieldable means including a tension spring anchored to an extension of said bracket, and a cable sheaved through said bracket and secured to said link, and means for pivoting said link to move said slide from the underside REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,062 ,184 Loehnis et al Nov. 24, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country lDate French June 26, 1909 

